UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' expressed both satisfaction and caution when reflecting on the result achieved by his side in Málaga. 'I don't want any euphoria at all,' he stressed. 'It's a 0-0 draw and we must keep working hard without thinking that 2 out of 3 possible results are enough for us. Football has shown us every kind of situation.' He made it clear that his team's approach for the second leg will remain unchanged. 'Our mentality will be to go all out and win again because everything is still to play for,' he said. 

The gaffer highlighted the reasons behind his side's defensive solidity at La Rosaleda Stadium pointing to the tactical discipline shown by both teams throughout the contest. 'When two teams know each other so well and both follow their defensive game plan to the letter, leaving very few spaces for the opposition, you get a clash that balances everything out,' he explained. 

'Both teams knew how to close passing lanes and prevent certain players from receiving the ball,' the Catalan added.

The Rojiblancos kept a clean sheet thanks to what the head coach described as 'constant support and teamwork', while also producing a highly disciplined away performance against rivals renowned for creating chances.

'We were extremely serious away from home and managed to minimise a side that usually creates far more opportunities,' he said. Although Rubi felt the draw was a fair result overall, he admitted that UD Almería looked the more likely side to find a winner late on: 'I think the result was fair, although in some of the transitions towards the end of the game I felt we were closer to scoring than they were.'

The Vilassar de Mar native also praised the outstanding atmosphere generated by the 30,000 supporters inside La Rosaleda Stadium and thanked Málaga CF fans for their reception. 'We were treated with great respect,' he commented. 'I'd like to congratulate both sets of supporters. As for our fans, we could hear them very clearly from that corner of the stadium,' he explained.

Finally, Rubi reflected not only on the result itself but also on the manner in which it was achieved. 'Winning here would have been important, but so too is the feeling of solidity we showed. The tactical work, the discipline, the organisation and the fact that we suffered so little against a very strong team are all things I value highly. It certainly wasn't easy,' he concluded.